A Detroit man convicted on sex trafficking charges was sentenced to 35 years in prison, according to U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade.
Willie Curry, 36, was charged with sex trafficking and the production of child pornography for three different minor victims. Curry was also convicted on an illegal firearm charge. His co-defendant, 37-year-old Tammy Pollard from Saginaw, was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
According to McQuade, Curry found the 15- and 16-year-old victims in Mt. Pleasant after they ran away from a home they were placed in by juvenile court.
He told the victims to come to Detroit and promised them new clothes and cell phones.
Once they got to the city, "Curry used physical violence and threats to control his victims, including beating one victim with a metal broomstick when she disobeyed his rules," according to a release.
Curry also took photos of the victims, and used them as advertisements for commercial sex acts.
According to McQuade, when one of the victims said she wouldn't have sex with a stranger for money, Curry raped her.
The next day, she climbed out the window, ran to a nearby gas station and asked for help. The information she provided led to the rescue of the other two victims from the home.
